We began our journey in Fort Portal in the Ruwenzori district where we were hosted by Anglican bishop, Benezeri Kisembo and his wife, Mama Lovey who directs He Intends Victory Fort Portal. Our team spent a day at the Karabole Hospital where we cleaned, scrubbed and prepared for new tile to be laid in the hospital. We prayed with patients who were eager to have us pray with them. A highlight of Fort Portal was visiting the "HIV Club" which has over 100 members. The men and women living with HIV were very proud to stand and announce that they were "born again" and to testify to what the Lord had done in their lives. One woman who was HIV positive gave God the glory because although she is infected, her children are HIV negative.

Tom Malande showing team the beautiful new site for the orphanage in Eldoret

In Jinja we met with the governor of the district, Basakana Hannington, who said that integrity is in short supply with many of the humanitarian organizations where there is often corruption and the funds delivered don't always get to the people. He also said that there is a close relation between HIV, poverty, and political instability. But he affirmed his support for He Intends Victory, our Uganda director, Alvin Waluube, and the Terry Duffy Home. He said that integrity like he saw in Alvin Waluube and He Intends Victory is "a very scarce commodity." He told us, "Expect the maximum cooperation from me." He Intends Victory, Uganda is in the process of requesting recertification for status as a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) in Uganda, so the governor's endorsement is an important step in that process.

 

Dancers in Nagamuli welcome us

We currently serve 11 children through The Terry Duffy home as well as numerous people in the community infected/affected by HIV/AIDS. As a result of the trip, we now have sponsors for each one of the orphans we serve. The support provides for their food, shelter, care, school tuition, uniforms and books. The children are happy, joyful, loved and cared for.

Dr. Kathy O´Connell led a medical team that included nurses Jane Irvine, nurse coordinator Eithne Keegan, Louise Allard, Lorrayne Carpenter and Claire Ellis. They held a medical clinic in a rural village called Nalimawa where in a few hours time, they saw over 100 patients, prescribed treatment and dispensed medications with an on-site pharmacy staffed by the nurse from The Terry Duffy home, Sylvia, and Dan Davis, Mike Supple, Sandra Jeffries, Molly Martin and myself (Joan Yorba-Gray).

The Terry Duffy Children dance in welcome to team membersSandra Jeffries and Katie Coppenrath

We also conducted an agricultural outreach in the village of Nagamuli where we brought hoes, machetes, supplies, clothing and toys. We were greeted over a half mile from the village by an enthusiastic, dancing throng. We were then entertained by local dancers as part of our ceremonial welcome.

In Eldoret, Kenya the team toured the newly purchased two acre site for a new orphanage to be built soon. Tom and Hellen Malande, the directors of He Intends Victory Kenya have a family centered approach to not only care for those infected/affected by HIV/AIDS but to also care for the wider family and community to build a stronger foundation for family life. They also will be working in the area of microfinance to help those with HIV/AIDS to become economically self-sufficient.

We later visited a small but enthusiastic support group led by a woman named Evelyn. These courageous people in a very small village called Mariget expressed their hope in Jesus, their gratitude that we came to visit and their fellowship with us from many thousands of miles away.

Our team was blessed, tested, strained but we didn´t falter. We had wonderful pastoral care from our three pastors, Rev. Bruce Sonnenberg, Rev. Russell Martin and Rev. James Moynihan. We knew that the Lord had worked through us and we give Him the glory. We thank all those who participated for their selflessness and faithfulness.